After several decades of rapid growth and prosperity, China will emerge as the world’s largest economy by 2020. With the challenge of feeding a population exceeding 1.2 billion, China is calling for greater quantities, higher quality and more variety of food products. According to agriculture business leaders, several economic factors are shaping China as a branded food industry.

The Danish Parliament has ratified a new protocol for the use of antimicrobials in animal production. In announcing the changes which also introduced new standards for welfare, the Minister for Food Agriculture and Fisheries Metti Gjerskov stated “the new rules provide an incentive to make sure that medicine is given only to individual animals in need of treatment and not to the entire herd as a matter of course” She added “this is a significant step in the further reduction of the use of antimicrobials in farming and is a very important part in the fight against antimicrobial resista

“We view the issue of sustainability as being critical to the Irish beef industry,” said Padraig Brennan, describing the beginning of the environmental sustainability program that is being rolled out to all members of Bord Bia’s Beef Quality Assurance Scheme. “In the last 18 months we’ve visited about 22,000 out of a total of about 32,000 farms that are members of our scheme.” Bord Bia is working with each of their member farmers to develop a carbon footprint measurement process and identify methods that they can use to reduce that footprint.

In 2006, a United Nations report entitled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” claimed that the livestock sector is a major player in climate change, “responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions ... a higher share than transport.” Appeals for reducing meat consumption to prevent climate change filled the public media, and they continue today (see this recent opinion blog from the New York Times).